By Issah Olegor
A surprise early morning operation by heavily armed men believed to be operatives of Ghana’s National Security has thrown the Bekwai District Forestry Commission office in the Ashanti Region into turmoil.
About 30 men in unmarked pickup trucks stormed the office on Monday, July 28, forcibly ordering staff out and locking up the facility—leaving the entire district team bewildered and the public alarmed.
The incident, which occurred without prior warning, has yet to be officially explained by either the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources or the National Security Secretariat.
According to eyewitnesses and staff present at the scene, the men claimed to be acting on “orders from above” and demanded the immediate closure of the office while seizing the keys.
Although authorities have not issued a public statement on the motive, the move is being widely linked to the Forestry Commission’s recent intensified clampdown on illegal mining—popularly referred to as galamsey—particularly in the Oda River Forest Reserve and its surrounding protected zones.
Over the past year, officers of the Forestry Commission have come under growing pressure and direct threats as they ramp up enforcement activities against destructive mining activities in protected ecological zones.
Sources within the Commission, who requested anonymity, disclosed that the Bekwai District team has played a leading role in arresting and dismantling illegal mining operations that have encroached on the Oda River Forest Reserve—a key watershed that supports communities like Obuasi and serves as a buffer for vital ecosystems.
